This Summer England's schedule includes 7 Tests between 2nd June and 12th September plus 15 T20's/ODI's combined.
So that's a potential 50 days cricket for someone like Stokes, in the space of just over 100 days.
So if they want to continue to play so much international cricket each Summer (that's not even taking in to account the Winter tours) then they have to consider starting earlier, at the start of May just to give the players a bit of a break.
But then that detracts even more from the County game which is already on its knees (although the Blast has seen some amazing crowds in recent years).
Their only other option is to reduce the amount of international cricket played and this will impact on sponsors, TV deals etc.
There's a lot of talk recently about the future of 50 over cricket and if it has a place.
But this has only come about because the ECB have forced the Hundred on us, a tournament that virtually no one wanted and that offers 20 balls less on each innings and 5 ball overs.... but isn't played anywhere else in the world and therefore doesn't have a World Cup, so is effectively pointless as it is a breeding ground for nothing.
By bringing that tournament in they've forced the domestic 50 over tournament in to obscurity which is grossly unfair and we mustn't forget, a format in which we are World Champions!
I honestly don't think Stokes will stick around very long as Test captain and the ECB need to go back to the drawing board with the schedule.